Incomplete
by Tuttle
Summary: Being taunted by Paul Cramer, Daniel is pushed to the edge and must decide what he is willing to do to keep his secret. Please R&R UPDATED 11.15.05
1. Chapter 1

**Notes:** OK, tons and tons of notes. First of all, Nora and Daniel are not now, nor have they ever been together. I love Mark too much to have him be... well the other man and tear apart a marriage. Daniel is Paul Cramer's killer. That remains the same and he is still trying to frame Jen for the murder. Hmmm... this fic takes place before Jen's death, but after Hudson and Julie's deaths. Oh, and Marcie works at the police station still, well... just because I said so I think that's all for now.

* * *

He knew it was wrong to lust after the older man. Was lust even  
the word, he thought. No, maybe it wasn't lust, but Mark certainly  
couldn't keep his eyes off the middle aged politician. This was wrong.  
This was so wrong but he couldn't help the way he was feeling.

Mark had come to know Daniel Colson through his father, John J.  
Solomon, Attorney at Law. The greatest defense attorney this side of  
the Llantano River, followed at quite a distance by Evangeline  
Williamson. Mark had grown up with the idea being drilled into his mind  
that he would be a lawyer like his father, but that was never what he  
wanted. Mark had always been shy and soft spoken. He certainly didn't  
like confrontation. He wouldn't make it one day as an attorney. But  
sitting now with Marcie at the LPD, Mark couldn't keep his eyes off the  
man whom he had fallen for. The man, who in turn, had fallen for Mark.

"...Hello" Marcie giggled. "Earth to Mark." Mark looked at her.  
"You're like a million miles away."

"Sorry," Mark said. "My mind is somewhere else. What were you  
saying?"

"Lunch," Marcie said as Mark watched Daniel through the corner  
of his eye. "You up for it? Or do you have to work?"

Umm... I'm not sure," Mark said. "I've gotta make a call first. I'll  
meet you outside?"

"Sure" Marcie said. "She grabbed her purse and headed out of  
the police station. Mark made his way slowly over to the payphone. He  
inserted the change and dialed waiting as the phone rang.

Daniel excused himself from speaking with Nora as his cell phone  
rang. "Hello?" he said.

"Daniel" Mark said. He stood only about 100 feet him. "It's me."

"Hi..." Daniel said. "What's up?" He looked over, seeing Mark on  
the payphone.

"Are you busy?" Mark asked him.

"Nothing that can't wait." Daniel said. Nora looked at him  
curiously.

"Can we meet? Usual spot?"

"Sure" Daniel said. "Give me a few minutes. I'll meet you." Daniel  
hung up the phone. "Nora..." he said "I gotta go. I'm gonna have to  
finish up this case later."

"Is everything OK?"

"Yeah," Daniel said. "Great. Just something I've been meaning to  
do. I'll call you when I'm back at the office."

"Sure," Nora responded. "No hurry or anything."

Meanwhile, Mark had made his way outside to where Marcie was  
waiting. "So... lunch?" she said.

"Marc..." Mark said. "raincheck? I just got off the phone with  
Adam down at the center."

"You have to work?" Marcie asked.

Mark hated lying to her, but he knew he couldn't tell anyone  
about he and Daniel. Not even Marcie. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, sorry...  
it's kinda last minute."

"No, that's OK." Marcie said. "We'll do it some other time."

"Maybe you should call Michael. He could take my place."

"I don't think..."

"Just for lunch." Mark said. Marcie pursed her lips. "Think about  
it. It isn't a date or anything."

Marcie nodded. "You'd better go. I don't want you to be late."

"I'll see you later." Mark said as he turned from her,

"Hey!" she called. "Have fun."

Mark smiled. He intended to.

>>>>>>

Room number thirteen. It seemed like it should have been so  
unlucky. But for such a sleazy hotel, no other room was much better.  
Plus this one was always available, permanently on retainer under the  
name Theodore. Mark had never understood why and had never really  
cared.

He managed to make it out to the room before Daniel, but knew,  
just like he always knew, that he followed right behind Mark. Daniel  
had to be careful though not to make it look suspicious. Although Mark  
was perfectly happy letting everyone know that he was gay, Daniel was  
a public figured, worried about how it would look if he came out. Mark  
was willing to keep the relationship a secret. He cared about Daniel and  
if that's what it took right now for them to be together, he was willing  
to do it.

There was a knock on the door. Two quick knocks, the signal.  
Mark waited a moment before swinging the door in. "I was beginning to  
think you weren't coming." he smiled softly, teasing him.

"I practically followed you down here." Daniel said stepping inside  
and letting Mark close the door.

"Staying at least two miles behind me," Mark said "I know."

"You sound like it's not the same thing we've been doing for  
months." Daniel said.

"I know," Mark replied. "I know that. I just... I just keep thinking  
about the lies Daniel. Who we're lying to so that we can see eachother."

"I thought you said you were OK with it" Daniel said crossing in  
front of him. "We agreed..."

"I know we did" Mark said following him. "We agreed and I am OK  
with it. It's the way you need things right now. I get that."

"So then we're not going to argue about it. I didn't come here to  
argue."

Daniel's temperament had changed. Ever since Paul Cramer was  
killed, Mark noticed a marked change in Daniel's attitude. He chalked it  
up to the stress of the case, but it was ongoing. And it worried him.  
"What is the matter with you?" he said. "Don't tell me nothing. It's  
something I can see it." Daniel didn't respond. "What is it that has you  
so frazzled. Why won't you just talk to me."


	2. Chapter 2

Daniel had been a mess since Paul Cramer's murder. In his mind, he did what he had to do by offing Cramer, but the guilt was eating a hole through him.

"Daniel... talk to me," Mark said. "I can see it in your eyes. Something is really bothering you."

"It's... this Cramer case." Daniel said. "It's going nowhere fast. We can't arrest Jen..."

"You still think she did this?" Mark said. "I really... can't believe it. That Jen could kill anyone. Even Paul Cramer."

"Paul Cramer was the scum of the earth. He deserved what he got."

"Then ease up on her," Mark said. "You don't have to pursue this so strongly."

"No, Mark!" Daniel yelled causing Mark to step back. "She did this and she is going to pay for it. She is going to pay for it for the rest of her life."

"What is... going through your head?" Mark, for the first time, was actually afraid of him. "Since when have you been so... driven about this?"

"You don't understand, Mark."

"Then tell me," Mark gently grasped Daniel's arm. "Tell me, Daniel. Help me understand. I want to understand. Trust me enough for that."

"This isn't about trust." Daniel pulled away from him. "I trust you Mark."

"Then what is it that you can't tell me?" Mark said. "Is this about protection? Are you trying to protect me from something?" Mark paused. "Or are you trying to protect yourself."

Daniel momentarily looked as if he had been caught. "What are you talking about?" he said. "You're just being emotional now."

Mark let out an exasperated laugh. "You're protecting yourself. You're so set on keeping us a secret that you're tearing yourself apart inside. God, Daniel..." Mark stepped closer, but Daniel backed away again.

"What does me going after Jen for Paul's murder have to do with any of this?" Daniel tried to rationalize.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Mark said calmly. "But you hiding this relationship is playing seriously into your mindset."

Daniel took a deep breath. "Can we please end this conversation?"

"No," Mark said uncharacteristically demanding. "Daniel..." he was soft, sweet again. "You're really worrying me."

"You shouldn't be worried."

"You can't even forget about Jen for one night." Mark said. "You're obsessing with this!"

"I did not... come here to get interrogated."

"This isn't an interrogation."

"Sure as hell seems like one." Daniel headed towards the door.

"Danny..." Mark said. "Where are you... Daniel." He sighed as he saw Daniel get into his car and begin to drive away.

"Oh Teddy," Daniel screeched the car to a halt, startled by the sight of Paul Cramer, who had leaned forward from the back seat. "Teddy, Teddy, Teddy. You fought til the death to keep your dirty little secret and now you're gonna end up killing him to hide the fact that you killed me."

"Shut up." Daniel yelled. "Shut up. I am not... going down for this."

"I beg to differ, Teddy boy." Paul said. "Or are you gonna kill again? You're really gonna rack up the bodies, huh? Who's next? Jen? Well of course that would mean you'd be killing your own son too... but what is it that they say?... sacrifice the many to save the few?.." Paul thought. "Close enough." He laughed. "Are you really willing to sacrifice your own kid? Think about it Teddy."

"Shut up!" Daniel said.

"Jen... Riley... maybe Mark?"

"Shut up!"

Paul laughed. "Would you really kill your lover to hide your little secret."

"I would never hurt Riley and I would never hurt Mark."

"Keep telling yourself that, Ted. Marky is already onto you and once he figures out you killed me..."

"He is not going to find out."

"I don't know. That Mark is a smart kid. And I don't know about you, but I don't think he's gonna want to hang around with a murderer."

"It was your big mouth that got you in trouble in the first place." Daniel said.

"What are you gonna do, Teddy? Kill me again?"

"You are not going to get to me." Daniel said. "You're dead. You're dead!"

"Whatever you say." Paul laughed. "Whatever you say Teddy."


	3. Chapter 3

The shattering of glass caused Lindsay to jump, in the Rappaport Gallery. "Jen?" Lindsay said, wandering towards the back of the gallery and the room that Jen was staying in.

"It's me." Jen said. "It's me, Mom. I just... I dropped something." Lindsay stepped into Jen's room, saw her daughter crouched down, collecting shards of mirrored glass from the floor. "It was just a mirror. It was just..." Jen was a mess. She was falling apart and it was all because Paul Cramer was murdered.

"Jen..." Lindsay said. "Baby, why don't you leave that. Just leave it."

"No I have to clean it. I have to do it now..."

"Honey..." Lindsay said. "Jen. It's going to be OK. Bo is going to figure out you're innocent."

"It's not Bo I'm worried about." Jen said. "Daniel Colson... he is so set on putting me in jail. I didn't kill Paul Cramer."

"I know you didn't baby." Lindsay took Jen's hands. "Jen... you  
can't keep yourself locked away."

"I'm... not keeping myself locked away." Jen defended softly. I  
just... don't really feel like going out."

"I'll tell you what." Lindsay say. "Why don't you get dressed... and I'll take you to lunch."

"I'm not really very hungry." Jen said. She took a deep breath,  
looking at Lindsay. "OK..." she said. OK I'll get dressed. We'll get some lunch. Not the palace though, OK. Something... down to earth."

"The diner it is." Lindsay smiled, happy to get her daughter to  
leave the gallery. "I'll go start your car."

Jen waited as Lindsay left the room before looking at the broken mirror on the ground. "Seven years bad luck," she sighed. "Good luck with that one. Things couldn't possibly get any worse."

>>>>>>

Riley sat alone at a table in the diner, scribbling down some lyrics on a napkin. He nibbled on some french fries as Jen walked in with Lindsay. He looked over at them.

"We don't have to stay, Jen." Lindsay said, seeing Riley.

"No," Jen said. "It's OK, Mom. I'm alright. Why don't you... get a seat and I'll be right there."

"Jen..."

"It's OK." Jen said "Really, Mom."

"Jen. I am right over here." Lindsay said. Jen nodded as Riley stood from his seat and slowly approached her.

"I'm having lunch with my mother." Jen said.

"I just want to talk to you, Jen." Riley said. "Please."

"I have nothing to say," Jen said.

"Then just listen to me. I want you back, Jen. I love you."

"You say that," Jen said. "But you don't show it. You don't trust me, Riley. You think I killed Paul."

"Jen, the evidence..."

"If you loved me like you say you do, then you'd believe me. You're siding with your dad."

"That doesn't mean I don't love you."

"So you're in love with a murderer."

"Is that a confession?" Daniel had entered the diner, stood behind Jen.

"I didn't kill Paul!" Jen said.

"Leave her alone, Daniel" Lindsay defended. Jen turned quickly, leaving the diner.

"Jen!" Riley called.

"Stay away from her." Lindsay threatened. "Both you and your  
son. Stay away from my baby." Lindsay turned to go after Jen.

Riley sighed. "You don't have to press her, Dad." he said.

"She killed Cramer."

"Just back off her." Riley said. "Dad... back off her." Riley grabbed his things.

"Riley," Daniel said as Riley headed out of the diner. "Son!"

"Too bad, Teddy." Paul said taking a seat. "Driving your own son away now."

"I don't need this." Daniel headed into the bathroom, locking the door and heading to the sink, splashing some water over his face.

"I know what you're thinking," Paul laughed. "He's gonna defend Jen, turn on Daddy."

"Jen will go down for this."

"What are you gonna do, Ted? Murder her too? They're gonna catch on. And you're going down."

"No," Daniel said. "No. No way. This is all going to end. It's all  
gonna end, Cramer. And I'm coming out on top. No matter what I have to do."

>>>>>>

"Jen," Lindsay said following her back into the gallery. "Baby, I'm not going to let Daniel do anything to you."

"How are you gonna stop him, Mom?" Jen asked. "He's going to  
arrest me. I'm going to jail. I didn't do it... but that doesn't matter."

"It's gonna be OK, baby," Lindsay said.

Jen shook her head. "It's not. It's not and it's never going to get better."

"Don't say that, Jen. Baby, of course it's going to get better. You can't give up. Don't you dare give up."

"I need to go out," Jen said "I need to go..."

"We'll go somewhere else." Lindsay said. "We can go anywhere."

Jen shook her head. "I need to do this on my own. I just need to be alone." Jen put on her jacket once again and went to leave the gallery.

"Jen?" Lindsay said. "I'm here. I'm here if you need me. You call and I'll come for you." Jen nodded and grabbed the keys to her car. She walked out the door as Lindsay spoke softly. "I love you, baby."


	4. Chapter 4

Marcie headed to the community center, watching as a group of kids played basketball. Marcie smiled walking up to a man coaching them. Adam Carson was Marcie's age and dashingly handsome. Marcie wasn't the only person who thought that, so did Adam's boyfriend. Marcie had known them both all her years at Llanview University.

"Hey, Adam," Marcie approached him.

"Marcie" Adam greeted her. "Hey. You come by to help out?"

"I wish I could," Marcie said. "I gotta get back to work but I wanted to talk to Mark really fast. Did he take off or something?"

"Mark?" Adam said. "Mark doesn't teach class today."

Marcie was confused. "Oh I thought he was... I thought he was working today." Marcie knew that Mark had said he was working.

"If he comes by, I'll tell him you were here."

"Umm... no" Marcie said. "No, that's OK. That's OK. I'll... I'll call him later."

"Alright," Adam said. "Don't be such a stranger, OK?"

She smiled, walked out of the Community Center. That was weird, she thought. Mark wouldn't lie to her. Not about something like this. She was worried, knew she shouldn't be, but was anyway. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

"Hello?" Nick answered the phone a bit out of breath.

"Nick?" Marcie said. "What's going on over there?"

"We have a... tiny leak" Nick said. "It's... nothing really. Can you just find the valve!" Nick called aside.

"This is a bad time."

"No, we got it," Nick said. "I think we got it. What's up?"

"Is your roommie home?" Marcie asked.

"Yeah," he said. "He just got in. I sent him to shut off the water. Hold on a sec. Hey!" Nick called. "Telephone!"

Marcie waited a moment. "Hello?"

"Mark?" Marcie said. "I thought you were going to work."

"Where are you?" Mark asked.

"At the center," she replied. "But I'm going back to work. Are you OK?"

"Yeah," Mark said. "Yeah, fine. I just... actually... I need to talk to you." Maybe if he told Marcie what was going on, left out the names, maybe she could help him make sense of everything. "Can I meet you somewhere?.."

"Yeah..." Marcie said. "Yeah, how about at the cottage. I can meet you there."

"I'll be there soon." Mark said.

Marcie hung up the phone, curious and worried. She would call Bo on the way to the cottage. He would understand that he had an emergency. She just wanted to make sure that Mark was OK. She needed to be there for him now.

>>>>>>

Daniel knew now that he had to put an end to the taunting by Paul Cramer. The only way he could do this was by bringing the murder case to an end. He stood in the parking garage at the Rappaport Gallery, staring dead on at Jens car.

"What are you gonna do, Teddy?" Paul said. "You think putting her in jail is gonna make this end? Hardly."

"I'll figure something out." Daniel said. "Just shut up."

"Jen?" Riley called, seeing Jen stepped off the elevator. Daniel hid himself.

"What are you, following me?" Jen said. "Leave me alone, Riley."

"I wish you would just talk to me." Riley begged. "Jen, I love you."

"Stop saying that." Jen said. "Please just stop saying that. I'm going to jail for something I didn't do. You don't believe me, your Dad's trying to make sure I stay locked up for the rest of my life. I'd be better off is I strung myself up from the rafters in here."

"Don't even say that." Riley said. "God, Jen. Don't."

"WOuld you even care?" Jen yelled. "God, Riley. You don't even believe me."

"That doesn't matter."

"To me it does! It matters to me." Jen stepped away from her car. "Just go away, Riley. Please just leave me alone."

"Jen..." Riley pleaded.

"I don't want to talk to you anymore. I don't want to see you again. Go away." Jen turned from him and headed back into the gallery.

"Jen..." Riley sighed. "Jen..." He waited a moment, had to let her be. SHe was upset. He'd just come back later to talk to her. Riley ran his fingers back through his hair, taking a deep breath. He backed away slowly, seemingly defeated.

"Look at that, Teddy," Paul taunted as Daniel kept hidden. "Sonny's girlfriend thinks she'd be better off if she was swinging from the rafters. Wouldn't that be just peachy for you." Daniel tried to ignore him. "O know what you're thinking, Ted. 'How convenient.' Too bad for you that Jen would never do something like that."

"It would make her look so guilty if she were to kill herself." Daniel said. He immediately shook the idea out of his head. "No. No way. That would kill Riley." Daniel turned, preparing to leave the lot. "I'm not going to have to deal with my killing someone else."

"Someone else?" Jen had come back out to get in her car. "Kill someone else..."

Daniel sighed, looking back at her. "Jen... you should have stayed inside. That was a real mistake." 


End file.
